Classic Chinese Sauces and Condiments
Chinese cooking encompasses thousands of sauces and condiments, and thanks to your supermarket’s Asian food aisle, many classic Chinese sauces and condiments are readily available. Some of these flavors [more…]
Chinese Herbs and Spices
The Chinese have a long tradition of using herbs and spices to boost a dish’s flavor (and provide nutritional benefits). You can now find many Chinese herbs and spices at supermarkets and specialty food [more…]
Types of Chinese Noodles
The Chinese love their noodles and have for centuries. The shapes of Chinese noodles may not vary as much as do those of Italian pasta, but the different ingredients used to make Chinese noodles do set [more…]
Ja Jiang Mein (Noodles with Meat Sauce)
In northern China, people enjoy this flavorful noodle dish hot or at room temperature. Enjoy ja jiang mein at whatever temperature you like. (And any time is noodle time in northern China.) In case you’re [more…]
Sweet Tapioca Pearls
People usually have strong feelings about tapioca — and if you grew up on the gooey tapioca pudding cups served in school cafeterias, those feelings may be strongly negative. Get ready to redress your [more…]
Types of Chinese Vegetables
Demand for Chinese vegetables has risen dramatically, as Asian-American communities grow and diners seek new taste experiences. Chinese vegetables fit perfectly into healthy vegetable-based diets and are [more…]
Egg Flower Soup
Sometimes called egg drop soup, this version of egg flower soup is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Egg flower soup is a great dish when your cupboards are almost bare and you just can’t summon the [more…]
Beef Chow Fun
The salty-sweet sauce in beef chow fun provides the perfect foil for the chewy, richly textured rice noodles. To jump-start the beef chow fun’s flavor even more, stir a little crushed red pepper into the [more…]
Chinese Appetizer Wrappers
Egg rolls, spring rolls, and wontons consist of thin wrappers containing bits of deliciousness. You can find premade Chinese wrappers with the right shape and size to accommodate any Chinese appetizer [more…]
Chinese Potstickers
Potstickers are Chinese dumplings that are steamed and then fried. The combination of steaming and pan-frying the potstickers gives the dumpling wrappers an irresistible balance between smooth and noodlelike [more…]
Caramelized Bananas
Caramelized bananas are a classic Chinese restaurant dessert. With this banana recipe you end up with a crackly, cooled candy glaze surrounding soft, piping-hot bananas at the center — the best of both [more…]
Drunken Chicken
This drunken chicken recipe doesn’t call for chickens who’ve had one too many martinis. It actually gets its name from the step of marinating moist, cooked chicken pieces overnight in Chinese rice wine [more…]
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Sweet and sour sauce, a favorite at restaurants, has finally come to your own kitchen. And when you make the sweet and sour sauce yourself, you can control the sweet and sour flavors to the proportion [more…]
Twice-Cooked Pork
This twice-cooked pork recipe first simmers the pork in a fragrant mixture of rice wine, ginger, and green onions tenderizes it and keeps it moist, then finishes the dish by stir-frying the sliced, simmered [more…]
Green Onion Pancakes
You can find green onion breads and pancakes throughout northern China and in North America, too. These green onion batter-based pancakes are quick and convenient to make. [more…]
Broccoli Beef
Even the most committed broccoli-phobe will have a hard time resisting this broccoli beef dish. And because broccoli beef is so easy to prepare, it makes a great quick and nutritious lunch when served [more…]
Braised Bamboo Shoots with Bok Choy
This simple stir-fry combines classic Chinese vegetables to create a distinctive dish that sings with the flavors of the bamboo shoots and bok choy. Braising the bamboo shoots and bok choy allows the flavors [more…]
Hunan-Style Braised Fish
Hunan-Style Braised Fish is cooked with a spicy sauce that goes well with rice or noodles. You can make your own spicy, braised fish in the Hunan style with this recipe. Freshwater fish are perfect for [more…]
Fried Rice
Fried rice is the perfect use for leftover rice. The fluffy, slightly dry texture of fried rice practically depends on your using day-old — or at least not-straight-from-the-stove-or-steamer — rice. When [more…]
Spring Rolls
The secret to making the perfect spring roll is having the oil hot enough, but not too hot. Make sure you heat it to 360 degrees rapidly. Serve the spring rolls hot with a dipping sauce. You can make your [more…]
Almond Cookies
By using vegetable shortening instead of the traditional lard in these almond cookies, this recipe creates almond cookies that are a little bit crispier — and with a lot less cholesterol. [more…]
Three Mushrooms with Basil in Rich Sauce
Welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms! This simple dish — the name says it all — introduces you to three different mushrooms, each with its own distinct texture and flavor. Really, it’s all about [more…]
Tofu with Mushrooms and Cashews
The tantalizing textures in this tofu dish run the gamut: It has light, airy pieces of fried tofu; chewy, tender button mushrooms; and crunchy roasted cashews. Combine all that with the bright green of [more…]
Chinese Cooking Techniques
Chinese cooking involves all kinds of techniques from stir-frying to steaming to simmering. This table lists a variety of Chinese cooking techniques and what you use them for, and a few tips as well. [more…]
Basic Tools for Chinese Cooking
In Chinese cooking (or any other cuisine), you can usually use the kitchen tools you already have. But some Chinese recipes do call for specialized tools, such as a claypot casserole. Other items, like [more…]
